Tag: change management
5 Steps to Breaking Through Complacency
A reader of my last post, “A Foolproof Process for Acting Courageously,” made a humbling comment: “Good article. One thing I’ve found is that sometimes you can follow the rules in the article and no one cares to listen. I struggle not with the courage part, but with the ability to influence leadership with entrenched ...
I Changed, Where is Everybody Else?
Some of the best advice I got from a senior leader during a Leadership Challenge 360 feedback process was, “You’re always three meetings ahead of everybody. Where you want to go is right for the organization, but you need to bring everybody along.” I struggled with that feedback, until I actually tried “bringing others along” and ...
There’s Something Missing from Most Leadership Advice
I’ve probably said this before, but do a search on “leadership” books on Amazon.com and you’ll find literally millions of titles. Frequently, themes focus on leadership “behaviors” such as integrity, humility, collaboration, listening to others, creating a vision, inspiring others, taking risks, modeling good behavior and so on. But what about being strategic? I admit, ...
Top 5 Leadership Insights Learned from 8-year-olds at an Art Studio
This is another post in the “everyday leadership” category. One must follow one’s inspiration, and everyday events have surprised me lately. This time, it’s not a family reunion or hockey team helping out at church that offered leadership inspiration, but rather my daughters’ eighth birthday party at a Minneapolis open art studio, Simply Jane. It’s clear creative ...
Top 6 Tips for Being a Great Parent, I Mean, Leader
Thought for the week: consider how leadership and parenting are similar. I’m amazed that JUST when I think I have my twins figured out — what they’re passionate about, what makes them anxious, who they like and why — it changes. As a parent (and recovering control freak), I’m learning to turn off frustration with this ...
What Great Leaders and Jerry Maguire Have in Common
One of my favorite movies is Jerry Maguire. There is much of your typical “integrity and character” fodder. But, what really resonated when I saw it 15 years ago and then recently was the loneliness that can sometimes accompany true leadership or pushing change. There are many things you probably inferred, or that supervisors and mentors ...
Move Over Change Management, Change Habits Instead
When beginning a new HR lead role a few years ago, one of the first requests I had for the president — my new boss — was to tell me his organizational wish list. His first response was, “I want you to create a development culture in our business.” That word “culture” struck me. I ...
What Do Writer’s Block and Leadership Have in Common?
Bear with me for a short story. A former colleague and I are working on a book. Something initially inspired my former colleague, and as we began to work together, further content planning was inspiring. Writing the outline was say, “exciting” — a sense of accomplishment that we were getting closer to the goal. But, ...
Debunking Assertiveness, Part II: 5 Ways to Get More Women in Leadership
It’s clear we’ve moved beyond the days of telling women they should “be more assertive” as explained in my last post, Debunking Assertiveness: Real Reasons There Aren’t More Women in Leadership, Part I. However, there are some barriers to getting more women on leadership teams and on boards. They include homogenous culture at the top, ...
Give Your Voice a Week Off
Opening your eyes and ears is a lot harder than opening your mouth, but its effects are profound. Executive or employee, small business or large, I’ll bet you’re constantly worrying about setting expectations, reiterating key messages related to your company’s goals, offering an opinion on all the things you feel you should, making sure the ...
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